


Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy

by fuckedupasusual



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Camping, Comfort/Angst, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Pining, Sharing a Room, Sort Of, Treasure Hunting, Weed Smoking, light fun, season 9 fix-it :P, shared tent, tent sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 11:10:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15047561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuckedupasusual/pseuds/fuckedupasusual
Summary: Dean and Cas go on a camping trip; things and feelings happen.





	Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in some sort of S9 AU where Cas is still human, Charlie is alive and well and both live at the bunker. :P

“Uhm,” Sam says while entering the bunker’s garage.

He had heard some noises and had gone to investigate their nature.

“Are you going on a field trip or something?” He asks, leaning against the door frame watching Dean loading up the Impala. The only answer he gets is a groan.

To avoid answering the question, Dean keeps pushing stuff into the backseat. But Sam isn’t going to let this go. The sleeping bags he sees leaning against the car have piqued his interest.

“Should I pack my bag? Do I have to bring my cozy PJs? And what’s up with the fishing rods?”

Dean pretends to be very busy leaning into the backseat but he also knows he can’t stay like this until his brother gets hungry or whatever. He resurfaces and quickly grabs the sleeping bags to throw them in there, too.

Of course, he also knows it is too late to avoid any suspicion. The damage is done. He should have put the fishing rods in there first…

With a pained look on his face (that no one but the Impala can see because he keeps his back to his brother) he finally says “Uhm… Cas has been watching the Discovery Channel lately, like – a lot. He kept pestering me about ‘wanting to explore nature as a human’ or whatever. Dude just got on my nerves so much this week that I promised him a camping trip. To shut him up.”

Sam snorts. “Yeah right. How come I wasn’t invited? Sounds more like a romantic getaway. Moonlight serenade by the sea type.”

“Uhm yeah you can shut up now,” Dean hides his blushed cheeks by picking up two six-packs and almost throwing them into the trunk which is now packed to the max.

“No, seriously, I am offended. When was the last time you invited me to some fun time activities?”

“That must have been back when you were no bigger than a breadbox and actually knew how to have fun. Since your college stint, your definition of ‘fun’ seems to consist of books and research. You can do that all by yourself. Hey, with me and Cas gone all weekend, you will have the archives all to yourself. Enjoy!”

Dean tries hard to deflect with teasing Sam about being a Boring Betty but to no avail.

“All weekend?! Wow, Dean. What, you accidentally only packed one sleeping bag so the two of you will have to share? Oaw, you old sap!”

Sam laughs his ass off. Dean should have really planned better ahead and executed all the loading process when his brother was out for some errands. Just when he thinks it couldn’t get any worse, Cas enters the room with a picnic basket.

“Oh for love of…”

“Oh, hello, Sam. Dean, I made us some PB&J sandwiches,” Cas doesn’t seem to pick up on any vibes and confidently walks over to the car. Dean is at a loss for words and clearly overwhelmed by the situation. He just wants to get the hell going.

“Yeah, uhm… thanks. Awesome. Just put it in the trunk,” He mumbles, avoiding eye contact and scratching his neck.

“Hey guys, what’s up with the sausage party in the garage?” Charlie says in her usual bubbly voice, appearing behind Sam.

“Dean and Cas are going on a romantic weekend camping trip,” Sam answers casually.

“Oh cool! You guys should get a treasure map and go on an *innocent* hunting trip”

“We are NOT getting a stupid treasure map. Okay, that’s it. Cas, get in the car. We are leaving.”

Dean hauls himself into the driver’s seat, puts the keys in the ignition and practically starts driving with the door still open. He can see Sam and Charlie laughing in the rear mirror as he drives away.

......................

They drive in silence. The only voice that can be heard is that of Robert Plant. But neither of them feels the need to talk. It’s nice. They are comfortable sitting and driving in silence.

After a few miles, Dean suddenly turns left into the parking lot of a Gas n Sip. Cas glances at him with a questioning look.

“Just wait here for a minute. Don’t venture off.”

Cas keeps himself busy staring out the window, watching two ravens on a food hunt for the next five minutes until Dean plops himself back onto the seat and throws a flyer into his lap.

“What’s this?” He gets no answer so he takes a look at the glossy piece of paper. It reads

Where ye find yer big ol’ treasure – be it in a box or in yer heart. Arrr!

“Is that…?”

“Yeah yeah, it’s a treasure map. I thought ‘what the hell’, right? Might as well have some fun. I hate to break it to you buddy, but these camping trips can get real boring real fast. Discovery Channel has been messing with your head. Nature is not that exciting after all.”

Cas stares at him but he doesn’t get a follow-up and soon, the engine roars and the music starts playing once again. So he just opens the flyer and starts reading about an apparent ancient hidden treasure in the area they are about to spend the next two nights in.

......................

It ends up being a two hour drive and the closer they get to their destination, the more nervous Dean gets. He really hasn’t thought this through. Cas had just been going on and on about nature and eventually, Dean had gotten so sick of having to listen to this broken record that he had acted on impulse and prompted this trip. Although he keeps telling himself that this has been the reason, a small voice in his head keeps telling him that he knows this isn’t ALL there is to it. But he keeps telling this voice to shut the f up. This is a normal dude trip. Hell, he has heard guys talking about these buddy trips lots of times. Of course, he has never actually been on one himself because all the trips he has done since he was little have been hunting trips. Spending two nights out in the open? Sleeping in a normal TENT? The vulnerability! People are so naïve. He had actually spent the whole week prior to this trip researching the areas surrounding them, making sure he picks the one with the least suspicious police reports.

He works himself up more and more until he is ready to turn around and call the whole thing off. Jeez, what has he been thinking? Both of them are human, about to go nighty-night with probably a dozen non-human things watching them. Wait. Watching them? Going to sleep? Together? Oh Jesus Christ, he is about to sleep in a tent. With Cas. He had found this tent in the bunker and with one look at it, he had known that it wasn’t a family size tent. His heart starts racing. This is a bad idea. Just when he is about to tell Cas exactly this and yank the steering wheel to perform a U-turn, his chain of panicked thoughts is interrupted.

“I think we are here.” Cas says, pointing ahead to a parking stop at the start of a very wooded area.

......................

In all his research, Dean had forgotten to check the distance from the parking area to a possible camping spot. Actually, he hadn’t checked tripadvisor at all, like a normal person probably would have done. He is sweating profusely. This time, not because he is a nervous wreck but because he is dressed in three layers of clothes, carrying half the camping equipment, PLUS the two six-packs.

Meanwhile, Cas is adorably carrying the picnic basket and the fishing rods.

“Dean, are you sure you don’t want me to carry some of this? I could at least carry the tent.”

“No it’s fine,” He groans, not making his answer sound very believable. But Cas knows when to pester and when to be quiet. He has to let him have this. It is a very masculine thing to do.

They hike for about half an hour until they reach a nice looking spot at a lake.

“This looks nice,” Cas nods to himself.

Dean doesn’t really care for aesthetics at this point, he is just happy to be able to drop all the junk and take a nap right then and there.

But he doesn’t of course. He wants to settle in and have the tent up before dusk. It is around noon.

They squibble and fumble. There is a lot of “Dean, I don’t think this thing goes there” and “No, I am sure this is how it’s supposed to – oah crap” but eventually, they get the whole thing set up.

Dean has been right. This tent is tiny. With the two sleeping bags and the duffle bag, it is fully occupied and Dean makes a mental note to postpone getting to sleep as much as humanly possible.

With a groan and a sigh, Dean grabs a beer and sits by the lake. He looks out onto the water and has to admit to himself that nature is indeed beautiful and amazing. No sound is to be heard but the calm waves of the water and the wind rustling through the leaves. The air is clear. The whole atmosphere oozes peacefulness. He allows himself to enjoy this for a moment.

Cas sits beside him, also with a beer in his hand.

“This is beautiful.”

“Yeah… yeah it is… I don’t think I have ever… looked at nature this way. To me, it’s always been this Dangerous Unknown. You know, a threat in every corner, waiting to attack…”

“I think I understand. I have forgotten to look at nature this way, with appreciative eyes.”

They just sit there, admiring all the innocent things that surround them. There is no need for words. Each allows the other to get lost in thought and they share them in silence.

......................

The paper halter of the first six-pack lays abandoned by the tent. Dusk is around the corner. Dean lays back and stares into the sky. The two and a half beers on an empty stomach have done their bit and he feels tired and content. He sighs and closes his eyes. Cas is still sitting and he looks at him, smiling softly.

“You should go to sleep in the tent. It’s going to be cold outside real soon”

“Mmh… You know that when you are ‘in the tent’ you are not actually *inside*, right?” Dean says without opening his eyes.

“Yes. But the sleeping bag will protect you from the cold. I can tell you are about to fall asleep, Dean.”

“Hmpf.”

Cas lets him have another five minutes. He almost feels bad when Cas gently touches his shoulder to wake him up from his half-sleep.

“Dean. Get up. Go to sleep. I’ll be alright.”

These words do it. With all the strength he’s got left in his bones, Dean pushes himself up off the ground and walks to the tent. At the entrance he stops, half looking back at Cas and after a brief moment of silence he says quietly “See you in the morning, Cas.”

......................

Dean wakes up from the lack of oxygen the next morning. The sun is already up and high and going full power and this old tent does not allow any air circulation, especially not with two people occupying this small space. He silently thanks his drunk self from last night for actually having changed out of the layers into sweatpants and t-shirt and leaving the boots outside.

He finds Cas incredibly close to his side, bordering his space and this gives him feelings he much rather leaves inside their “shared bedroom”.

However, when the first panic fades, he realises – there are just the two of them. No prying eyes, no mocking brother around the corner… He relaxes a bit. No harm done in taking one or two quick glances, maybe one longer one. Nobody will know.

He is still lying stiffly on his aching back and looks to his right. Cas is lying on his side, using his hands as a makeshift pillow, steady breathing and his hair a bit ruffled. He looks adorable. Dean never wants to look at anything else for the rest of his life. This sight alone soothes him so much that all anxiety leaves his body. For a moment. Until Cas sighs loudly, shifts and looks like he is about to move in even closer.

(Dean wants nothing more than to wrap his arm around his shoulder, tug him in, feel his body next to him, chest pressed against chest…)

The panic is back and so Dean makes for a quick exist. He covers his eyes from the unfiltered sunlight outside and takes a deep breath. It is actually nice to smell fresh air and see sunlight after waking up. The only thing hinting the hour of the day in his bunker bedroom is his clock.

He stretches his back when he suddenly hears his stomach growl. Didn’t they bring sandwiches? Oh right, in the tent. Not an option. There is a leftover beer from one of the six-packs by the lake and Dean seriously considers it.

“Oh well, the old fashioned way, then.” He says to himself while picking up one of the fishing rods and settling down by the lake.

It is nice, he has to admit. It is still early, so it’s rather quiet. Not many birds are up yet. He has no idea how fishing actually works but he has brought some worms and he attaches one to the hook. He throws the line into the water like an amateur and just sits there, waiting. It is not like he is expecting to catch something. It is just nice to have something to do (or having the illusion of doing something) until he can figure out what to actually do next.

He sits there quietly, alone with his thoughts for once. He thinks about his childhood, lost moments and memories but also the good ones. Little moments that make him smile. It hasn’t been all bad in the past. He is a little scared to go that far down memory lane. He knows it will evoke some memories in him that he would rather keep buried. Like that one time his father didn’t allow him to go see My Own Private Idaho because there was “work to do”. But no, he won’t go there.

Fortunately, he doesn’t have to. Like always, Cas saves the moment. Dean is still lost in thought when Cas gets out of the tent, stretching his limbs and breathing in the fresh air.

“Hello Dean,” He says standing next to him.

Dean jerks around, staring into those blue innocent eyes.

“Oh hey, Cas. I hope I didn’t wake you up or anything.” He knows he hasn’t but he needs a second to collect his thoughts.

It is still settling in. He is actually doing this. Camping with Cas. Camping with an angel – formerly. What has his life become.

“Mh, I like this. This is just like the dream I visited you in many years ago.”

“Yeah? I don’t remember…” He does.

“It was a little different but not much. Have you caught anything, yet?”

“Uhm, no, Cas. I have been out here for like 10 minutes.”

“Would you like a sandwich while you wait?”

Dean nods and simultaneously wonders how good a pb&j sandwich can be the day after being made.

He finds out that it is not going down the throat voluntarily and is to be forced down with a strong coffee.

Unfortunately, the coffee is also from the day before and tastes like cold despair and water boarding.

There have been nicer breakfasts. More romantic breakfasts. The Breakfast Club.

“Hm, thanks… Well, this is definitely a first.”

“What do you mean?” Cas tilts his head a little and adjusts his legs. His half eaten dry AND soggy sandwich dangling from his hand.

“Well… I mean, I have been out on the road. Hell, I have camped before. But never for pleasure. Until now, I never even knew it COULD be pleasure… It’s still up for debate of course, if this counts as pleasure but so far, nothing horrific has happened and I count that as a win.”

Cas nods. He likes it all. The light, the warmth of the sunlight, being woken up by natural instincts (you know, because it’s WARM and BRIGHT). But deep down he knows these are not the only reasons he woke up.

It has also been the emptiness beside him.

When he had crawled into the tent the night before, it had been quite difficult to make space for himself. Dean had laid there sprawled out in a total sleep coma. It had been late and Cas, not being used to being drunk after two beers, just quietly got into the additional sleeping bag, ignoring the grunt and the arm, coming from Dean’s side, ignoring any kind of possible interaction.

But right now, things are easy. Dude-Bro, he knows that code.

They sit there for a while, not talking, like they often do. It may seem strange to some but to the two of them, these are sacred moments. And when you think about it, it is rare in life that you can sit with a person in comfortable silence.

But eventually, the last crusts of day old sandwiches are eaten and the last drops of lukewarm coffee have been downed. It is time for some action.

Dean doesn’t want their silence to become uncomfortable. Because everybody knows, there definitely comes a time when comfortable silence turns into awkward silence. So, Dean follows his deflection instinct and stands up, rather suddenly.

“Okay, Cas. We got a whole day to ourselves. That’s like 12 hours of fun. I didn’t buy those leaflets for the sake of spending money I don’t have. Let’s go on a treasure hunt!”

For a moment, Cas is confused and looking taken aback. But he doesn’t actually have an idea how these camping trips usually work (which is getting drunk around noon and fighting a hangover until midnight, where you fall asleep and don’t care about a non-existent bathroom), so he complies.

“Do we need… gear?” He asks awkwardly which makes Dean chuckle.

“I don’t think we will need angel blades or salt on this one” and he secretly hopes they won’t. Because, as much as he is enjoying this (or trying to), he still can’t shake his hunter nature off completely.

They do pack a bottle of water each, just in case they go off their trail. Dean hesitates leaving all their stuff behind but he hasn’t got it in him to reload the Impala with all this junk just for a few hours.

The map he bought for a dollar fifty leads them through the woods, having them make turns left and right. Dean is getting frustrated but Cas is excited, so he swallows his emotions and keeps focused on the map that he knows is total BS.

It’s approaching noon and the sun keeps shining upon them mercilessly. Dean sits down on a large rock.

“Cas, I need a break for a minute. Or many… I think this treasure map is a load of bullshit… we have been walking for ages now…” He moans and lays back on his back.

Cas sits down beside him. Close. Dean feels the urge to scoot away from him. He resists but it does things to his nether region.

It doesn’t help that Cas stretches out his legs and sighs. But it is a sad sigh and he says “I am sorry, Dean- I really hoped that this would turn out to be a fun activity. I can see that it is not entertaining you.”

“Oh, hey, no! This is not your fault. I mean, I bought the damn flyer.” He looks up at Cas who has his eyes to the ground. He feels like he needs to comfort his friend, but he doesn’t know how. So he just tries to keep the conversation going.

“I say we give it another try for the next two hours and if we don’t find a treasure… Well, then we just have to get lucky in other ways,” He winks without meaning to. Damn it.

They continue their treasure hunt a minute after that

The map leads them to a well walked upon trail amongst some trees. There is indeed an X formed with some sticks, marking a point.

“Do we dig?” Cas asks.

“Feel free if you like to. I am not digging for shit,” Dean says, gesturing at the ground. He has done his faire bit of digging up ground.

Cas hesitates but then “Well, if you are not digging, I won’t either.”

“Whoa. You made me hike all the way up here and then refuse to dig?”

“Would you like me to dig?”

Dean finds that questions a little too cocky and provocative, so he adds “Yeah, Cas. Dig for me” in a rather challenging tone.

Cas starts digging with his bare hands and it is only for about five minutes that Dean can stand the sight of it.

“Okay, okay. Stop digging. At best, we would discover a dirty shirt that reads ‘We were here.’”

Cas stops and looks at him.

“You want to leave without a treasure?”

Dean looks into those blue eyes and thinks to himself that he has already found his treasure. But he is saved from having to form a more neutral answer when a teenager approaches them from out of nowhere.

“Ugh hey guys. You looking for a fancy treasure?”

Dean’s hand immediately reaches back to where his gun normally would be but there isn’t one and he remembers he is on a fun innocent trip. But damn, he wishes he had something on him.

“Yes. Did you find it?” Cas asks and Dean is struck by how cute and stupid this question is.

“I sure did. I am willing to… uhm… share. If you are interested.”

Dean is starting to recognise this college lingo and it dawns on him that this kid might have found out about travelling tourists and saw an opportunity to distribute his drugs.

“We are. We don’t want to leave empty handed,” Cas replies and sends Dean an encouraging nod. Dean wants to die on the spot of second-hand-embarrassment.

“Cool, dude. But the treasure has a price. Depending…”

“Depending on what?”

Dean is just too dumbfounded to interrupt this conversation. Is this actually happening?

“On what and how much, man. You are not a usual buyer, I guess?”

“No, we don’t usually buy treasures.”

At this point, Dean just wants to see how it all plays out. And if he is being honest with himself – if not do drugs on this weird adventure, then when?

“Uhm, okay. I got some prime weed on me. How much you got on you?”

“What would we do with weed? It is growing all over this place,” Cas gestures at the wild weed surrounding them. Dean is just staring at the two of them with wide eyes. Then he cracks up.

Not being able to take it any longer, he says “Yeah, no. Weed is fine.”

Dean counts some bills out of his wallet and hands them to the guy. He receives a small plastic bag in return.

“This better be the good shit you promised us or I will hunt you down,” Dean says jokingly but giving the guy a very serious look.

The guy nods and quickly sets off.

“What did you just purchase?” Cas asks and tilts his head.

“Uh, never mind. We will get to this later… So, are we calling this a day?” Dean gestures to the ground.

“I guess so. It is getting quite hot out here. I figure, it is best to head back to our resort and rest in the shadows.”

Dean snorts at the wort “resort” but he is happy to return to their tent and be done with all the useless hiking.

As usual, the way back feels way quicker and when they reach their spot, Dean feels relief wash all over him. One, because their stuff is all still there and two, because he can just lay the fuck down and rest his aching legs and back.

“This was fun,” Cas says.

“Uh-huh.” Dean replies while dropping the duffle bag and dropping dead onto the ground next to the tent. He is just happy that the afternoon has just arrived, blessing them with some actual shade. With the last bit of his strength, he manages to get out of his jacket and plaid shirt, allowing his bare arms to breathe in the fresh air.

Cas stands there, uncertain. He sheds some of his clothes and sends a longing look out onto the lake. A quick swim never hurt nobody, right? So he strips right out of his jeans and boots and socks and makes a run for the water.

Dean doesn’t even realise what is happening until he hears a loud splash.

“What in the…?! Cas, what are you doing?!” He props himself up on one arm and looks over his shoulder.

“I felt hot. I wanted some cooling!” Cas yells from out of the water.

Dean just stares at his torso emerging from the shallow waves and has to immediately avert his eyes.

“You want to join me?”

“Err, no thanks, I’m good. Take your time!”

The last time Dean went for a swim was ages ago. Does he even still know how to do it? Pretty sure he would look ridiculous, paddling like a dog. Although, deep down, Dean knows this is not the whole truth as to why he won’t join Cas in the water.

Dean welcomes the distraction that is his growling stomach. He realises that he has not eating anything but half a soggy dry sandwich all day. He thinks of the canned foods they have packed but the thought of eating cold tinned ravioli makes him voice a loud “Ugh”. Then, he thinks of the weed in his pocket which makes him go “Hm!”

It’s probably not a good idea to do any kind of drugs on an empty stomach, he thinks, revisiting all those alcohol benders but he sure as hell won’t bring any of that stuff back to the bunker and now is as a good time as any to get high and maybe forget about Cas being almost naked, splashing around in the lake.

He gets up to get the stuff and is silently grateful for the papers in the plastic bag. This guy knows his tourists.

Dean rolls up some premium joint. He is a genius that never unlearns a skill once he’s had to teach it to himself. And of course, as a hunter, he always has a lighter on him – just in case.

While Cas is still frolicking around in the water, Dean inhales deeply. He takes two hits and too soon has to realise that, yeah, it’s been quite a fucking while that he has done some weed. This stuff has gotten more intense. Or is he just getting older? Maybe both.

Whatever the reason, instead of feeling relaxed, he feels a sweat building up. His chest tightens and he feels sure that he is never going to breathe again.

Miraculously, he still breathes, though. But his stomach won’t stop churning. Oh god, is he about to vomit? That is about the last thing he wants to do. It’s gonna be all bile.

Because they are ultra-connected, Cas senses that something is wrong with Dean and gets out of the water. He throws his sweater back on as he walks towards the tent.

“Dean, are you okay?”

But in Dean’s head right now, it sounds like a deity calling to him.

“Can I do anything for you?”

Dean is overwhelmed by this guy’s kindness. He just can’t handle it.

“Uhm… could you just… leave?”

Cas is confused and a bit offended but he doesn’t let the feeling surface.

“Sure, Dean. I will be in the tent if you need anything… and I mean anything.” He adds after a short pause.

Dean is only able to nod. The last thing he wants is this guy to witness his bad trip. But his heart is still doing somersaults and not in a good way. He lies down on his back and tries to concentrate on steady breathing, trying to convince himself that it will all go away if he could just manage to calm himself down a bit.

It’s about half an hour later until that he feels his body relaxing and the sweating stopping. He silently sends a quick thank you to the powers above and waits another ten minutes before he gets up and peeks into the tent.

He looks inside and sees Cas reading a book. He is lying on his side and it all looks so humble and inviting. Dean feels the panic building up again. Damn, he needs to get out of this place.

“Err, Cas? Sorry about that, man. Do you feel up for a walk? I think I could use one…”

Cas just nods. Well, this is awkward. But whatever. Dean needs to be out moving but he sure as hell doesn’t want to be alone while still tripping.

They start walking in silence with no real destination. And it’s about fifteen minutes until Dean feels something building up inside of him again. Goddamnit. They are deep into the woods at this point and he starts to feel terribly lost. He hates it. Losing control like this freaks him out even in a sober state of mind. Cas feels that something is wrong and he looks at him directly.

“Are you okay, Dean? Do you want to go back?”

Oh hell yes, he does.

“Nah, it’s fine. It’ll pass in a minute. Let’s just keep walking, alright?”

Why is he doing this? This is such a bad idea.

The panic keeps building up. He is starting to sweat again. His heart thumps against his chest. Jesus F Christ, this is the worst. Dean recognises the feeling from the panic attacks he has had over the years and wishes for nothing more than his windowless bedroom in the bunker.

It is early afternoon when they reach a fork. Cas looks left and right but there are no hints as to where these “roads” are leading.

“I think we better turn around,” He says and it isn’t so much of a question as it is an already made decision.

He is already turning around when Dean grabs him by his arm and brings his finger to his lips to signal him to shut the effup.

“I think I heard something,” He whispers.

Cas hasn’t heard fuck all and is pretty sure that Dean is imagining things.

With confidence, he says “I haven’t heard a thing, Dean. I think we are good to go.”

Dean just shakes his head no. He is standing still like a rock with his hand on Cas’ arm and looks around a little paranoid.

Cas has never seen him like this before – irrational, paranoid and afraid.

“I think it’s werewolves,” He says and it’s barely but a whisper.

Cas looks around, although he is 99% sure that there isn’t anything dangerous hiding in these woods. He is just stalling time to figure out how to deal with his friend.

Dean feels the panic now like a 100%. To him, it is definitely werewolves. It is about to be full moon and they must feel the itch to hunt and feed, he is sure of that. He now clings to Cas like he is his lifeline.

“We should just turn around then. It is still bright. We will be back way before dusk if we turn around now,” Cas says in a desperate attempt to calm Dean down.

Dean barely nods but it is enough to give Cas the confidence to put his arm around Dean’s shoulder and gently guide him on their way back.

They take the path that they came from and short of twenty minutes, they arrive back at their tent.

“I think you should lie down, Dean,” Cas says with serious concern in his voice.

Dean, who has been glancing over his shoulder every two minutes, agrees. He still feels panicky but Cas’ voice soothes him. He nods and ducks down to make it into the tent.

Under different circumstances, he might have complained about the lack of oxygen inside but right now, he just wants to lie down and curl up.

“You want me to leave?” Cas asks.

“What? No, dude. Stay with me. I think I need to close my eyes for a bit but I can’t do that unless I know somebody is watching the entrance”

There is a trace of panic in his voice and it is enough to make Cas smile fondly and reassure him that he is not going anywhere, then.

This fucking weed, Dean thinks as he is crawling into his sleeping bag. He still feels on the edge and keeps glancing over to Cas who is sitting right next to him.

“Are you just gonna sit there?” He asks, mainly just to say something and make the whole ordeal less awkward. But all he gets is a “Yes.”

Dean lies down on his stomach and face plants into his small travel pillow. Well, this has been a nightmare. He is definitely not touching that remaining weed ever again. But, as he slips into unconsciousness, he thinks that it’ll definitely be fun to watch Sam take a hit and flip out. He smiles as he is finally entering the dream world.

......................

Dean wakes up early next morning. Like, real early. He takes his time readjusting to the real word, trying to make sense of what had actually happened and what he’d imagined. Next to him lies a snoring Cas. An open book right next to his face. He must have fallen asleep while reading, how cute.

Dean feels much better and makes a memo to never smoke weed again. His stomach is signalling him once again that he should REALLY get some food inside of him. He sits up and reaches for the duffle bag that’s lying at his feet. He grabs a can of ravioli and a spoon and indulges in a traditional cold camping breakfast.

Feeling much better after that, he checks his watch. It is 7 am. He feels the heat coming from above already. They should probably “check out” before noon to avoid driving back to the bunker in the Kansas heat.

Dean considers waking up Cas but the dude just looks too adorable, drooling all over his book. Dean smiles with fondness in his eyes. They have been through much together, but a bad weed trip? They hadn’t had that on their list before.

Dean lies back down with his arms crossed behind his head. He revisits the past days and lets his thoughts run wild but then, he also thinks about nothing at all in particular.

It’s an hour before Cas shows signs of waking up. He inhales deeply and rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. He looks around and spots Dean looking at him. He smiles and says

“Feeling better today?”

“Yeah. Very much. Thank you for… uhm, making sure I didn’t end up naked, wandering around the woods or something”

“Anytime, Dean,” Cas nods and smiles. And oh damn it, that is all this guy ever really does.

Dean looks at his own knees like they are the next world wonder. The sun is shining down on their tent, making it all hot and steamy inside which prompts him to say:

“We should probably be on our way back to bunker soon, Cas.”

Dean sounds almost sad. Cas just nods. He understands that this has been only an escape from reality. They need to get back to duty.

Nevertheless, though, they do take their time. Dean enjoys a second cold ravioli breakfast and they spend some time staring out onto the lake.  
......................

It is well after noon when they arrive back at the bunker.

Despite Dean’s hopes, Sam isn’t out and about but sitting in the library, doing research like he always does. But when he hears the main door close, he jumps up and heads towards the entrance.

“Back from the honeymoon so soon?”

“You know what, why don’t you unload the car while I go and exchange all my toothbrushes that you have rubbed up your ass while I was gone?”

Sam doesn’t stop smiling, though.

“Oh, for the love of… at least, make yourself useful. Cas caught a fish today and intends on keeping it. Good luck with that Loch Ness monster.”

**Author's Note:**

> Biggest Thank You to my beta reader for correcting my mistakes and encouraging me [jemariel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jemariel)


End file.
